Satellite images show widespread destruction in two Nigerian towns that were recently attacked by Islamic extremists, an international human rights group says.
Amnesty International has released detailed images of Baga and Doron Baga, taken before and after the attack earlier this month, that show more than 3,700 structures were damaged or completely destroyed.
The images were taken January 2 and January 7, Amnesty International said. Boko Haram fighters seized a military base in Baga on January 3 and, according to witnesses, killed hundreds civilians in the ensuing days.
Amnesty International said interviews with witnesses as well as local government officials and human rights activists suggest hundreds of civilians were shot; last week, the human rights group noted reports of as many as 2,000 dead. The Nigerian military has cited a figure of 150 dead, including slain militants.
Nigeria's home-grown Boko Haram group drew international condemnation when its fighters kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from a boarding school in northeast Chibok town last year. Dozens escaped but 219 remain missing.
Satellite image of the village of Doro Baga in north-eastern Nigeria taken on 2 Jan 2015. Image shows an example of the densely packed structures and tree cover. Satellite image 2, taken on 7 Jan 2015, shows almost all of the structures razed. The red areas indicate healthy vegetation.
The top image shows Baga, Northeatern Nigeria, taken on Jan 2, 2015. Many thatched roof structures have since been razed, as seen in the bottom image. The dark colour represents burned areas, red indicates healthy vegetation.
